Former England, Liverpool and Leicester striker Emile Heskey attended the PFA’s latest Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS) player experience day, hosted at the union’s Manchester headquarters.
The event brought together representatives from clubs, the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), and several PFA staff, who led talks and workshops with 24 young players from 17 different clubs.
Facilitated by Riz Rehman, the PFA’s Player Inclusion Executive and AIMS programme lead, player experience days are designed to offer personal development and networking opportunities for players, allowing them to engage beyond their usual club environments.
The latest Manchester event follows similar player experience days held earlier this year at Football Manager and Sky Sports News headquarters.
Heskey, the former England frontman with over 60 caps for his country, praised the AIMS programme as a key initiative and important touchpoint for young players.
“This is a fantastic scheme set up by the PFA. These players are all in the same boat and on this journey together, so being able to access this community is a huge benefit to them.”
“I’ve seen some of these guys play and I know how much potential they have. Now, it’s about taking those forward strides and knocking down those barriers.”
Danny Batth, centre-back for Championship side Blackburn Rovers and ambassador for the AIMS scheme, also contributed via a virtual Q&A session where he shared his own experiences as a professional Asian player and reflected on his work with the PFA to date.
Batth said: “It’s really exciting to see the number of players involved in the AIMS scheme.”
“This network started from the ground and has grown into the vast programme it is today. My advice to the players is to lean on this community and to not be afraid to share your experiences. It helps us become better players."
